By Sonny Jones
What a World Cup final and congratulations to Lionel Messi and Argentina as well as Kylian Mbappe and France for putting on an amazing show of what is often called the “beautiful game.”
My soccer knowledge is, at best, extremely limited. I couldn’t name five current players even if you threatened me with having to listen to Christmas music for 24 hours straight, but Sunday’s final won by Argentina in a penalty shootout was riveting.
Messi, one of the greatest players in the sport’s history, scored twice and Mbappe had a hat trick as the teams played to a 3-all draw after 120 minutes. Argentina won the shootout 4-2.
Didn’t you assume the match was over when Argentina bolted to a 2-0 lead after 36 minutes? Mbappe thought otherwise, scoring twice in a 97-second span in the second half. Messi and Mbappe each scored in overtime to force the shootout that capped a World Cup tournament-record 172 goals scored.
It truly was an amazing, exciting, intense game. If you didn’t tune in or watch a replay because you don’t like soccer, you missed an epic match. I may not watch another soccer match until the 2026 World Cup which will have matches played in the United States, but I’m glad I watched most of Sunday’s World Cup final.
• Look for No. 91 for the Los Angeles Rams in their game Monday night at Green Bay. That will be Elizabethtown’s Larrell Murchison. He’s listed as a second team defensive lineman on the team’s unofficial depth chart, but I’m guessing he’ll see a significant amount of playing time. Defensive tackles Aaron Donald and Marquise Copeland both are listed as out for the game because of ankle injuries.
• How do you know there are too many bowl games? The Myrtle Beach Bowl between Marshall and Connecticut is being played on a Monday afternoon. Not exactly prime time.
• On the subject of prime time, congratulations to N.C. Central for winning the Celebration Bowl on Saturday, beating Jackson State 41-34 in overtime in Deion “Prime Time” Sanders’ final game as head coach at Jackson State.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
• 2001 — Marshall, led by Byron Leftwich, comes back from a 38-8 halftime deficit to beat East Carolina 64-61 in double-overtime in the GMAC Bowl for the highest scoring bowl game in history.
POTATO PICKS TO WATCH TODAY
• MYRTLE BEACH BOWL: Marshall vs. Connecticut, 2:30 p.m., ESPN
• NFL: L.A. Rams at Green Bay, ESPN, ABC, ESPN2
• NBA: L.A. Lakers at Phoenix, 9 p.m., NBATV
• WOMEN’S HOCKEY: United States vs. Canada, 10 p.m., NHLN
Sonny Jones can be reached at wibbyj@gmail.com.
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